FOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT 2013

websitebuilder • December 20, 2013

In less than two weeks, 2013 will be history.  Now is a good time to assess how you did.  If we never pause to assess our performance, we might forfeit valuable lessons.  With that in mind, here are four questions I challenge you—as I challenge myself—to ask concerning 2013:

1—How did you do in your business performance?   Reflecting upon all the professional roles you have held, how did you perform?  Did you do your job with energy, accuracy, enthusiasm, and insight?  By reflecting upon your business performance, you can bask in some well-deserved affirmation of the highlights.  You can also reengineer your business approach where some fine tuning might be needed.

2—How did you do in your ethics performance?   Did you stand tall and true to your ethics regardless of the cost?  By reflecting upon those times when your ethical commitment was put to the test and it stood strong, you can rejoice in your victories.  You can also rethink your approach to ethics if you found yourself coming up short for any reason.

3—How did you do in your leadership performance?   Did you exercise strategic and sound leadership in every situation that demanded it?  By reflecting upon your various leadership situations, you can affirm your leadership where it was tested and found to be solid.  You can also identify those situations that may have revealed some leadership deficits and begin seeking ways to improve and refine.

4—How did you do in your personal performance?   Did you exhibit maturity, passion, strength, and wisdom as you managed your attitude, money, opportunities, relationships, loved ones, spiritual or religious convictions, physical fitness, emotional and mental fitness, and overall wellness?  By reflecting upon your personal performance in these areas, you can take comfort and joy where you know you brought your best self to the table.  You can also take a hard look at any of those areas in which you know deep in your heart some improvement is needed.

These four questions are revealing.  If you enjoy your answers, I am happy for you!  On the other hand, if you are unhappy with the answers to any of these questions, then some thoughtful, soul-searching realignment is needed.

Now for the especially exciting news: you have the power to make the needed changes.  Remember—our failures are only meaningless if we do not learn from them.  Let us learn from them so we can make 2014 the best year ever!

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MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z FAVOR HIGHER EDUCATION

By James Meadows • August 13, 2019
Although anyone can and will criticize higher education, millennials are evidently smart enough to know its value. In spite of the horror stories about student loan debt, academic disasters, and wrong career turns, millennials have boasted one of the highest graduation rates of any generation to date. Generation Z may soon surpass them too as Laura A. Scione, managing editor of eCampus News reports : “ Despite growing questions around the value of college and return on investment in tuition, just 25 percent of Generation Z students say they believe they can have a rewarding career without going to college, compared to 40 percent of millennials. Eighty percent of Generation Z respondents and 74 percent of millennials agree that college either has a fair amount of value, is a good value, or is an excellent value. Only 20 percent of Generation Z students and 26 percent of millennials said college has ‘little value’ or ‘no value at all.’ ” Good for them! The statistics remain on their side—and the side of anyone who pursues higher education. Anthony P. Carnevale is the director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Based on his research, that trend will only continue (Gillian B. White “Those Savvy Millennials” The Atlantic , May 2015, p. 38): " In 1973, 32% of jobs did not even require a high school diploma, 9% required a bachelor’s degree, and 7% required a master’s degree or higher. It is projected that by 2020, 12% of jobs will not require a high school diploma, 24% will require a bachelor’s degree, and 11% will require a master’s degree or higher. " Derek Newton wrote an article entitled “Please Stop Asking Whether College Is Worth It” in which his opening declaration gets right to the point: “ Colleges and universities are still the best, most direct path to a good career that pays well. ” In addition to those insights, the unemployment figures consistently reveal the enduring value of higher education. The seasonally adjusted July 2019 unemployment rate for persons not having a high school diploma is 5.1% ( Bureau of Labor Statistics ). Having a high school diploma drops that rate to 3.6% and some college or a two-year degree drops it further to 3.2%. Pretty good trending, would you agree? Finally, if we look at people having a four-year degree, a graduate degree, or a doctoral degree, the unemployment rate is a low 2.2%. Higher education’s edge is especially clear when you consider the range of these numbers over the education level. Look at the two ends of the spectrum: less-than-high school (5.1%) versus a four-year degree or higher (2.2%). Consistently, regardless of the measured time, the unemployment rate for a less-than-high-school-educated worker is two to four times larger than for the college-degreed worker. This is why, when people seek my counsel about career planning, higher education remains one of my most significant emphases. Education pays. Degrees still rock. Regardless of how good or bad the economy is, regardless of how many individual academic and career disasters can be cited, and regardless of how loudly the antidegree crowd howls, you are still in a better position having a degree than not having a degree. The good news for the millennials and Generation Z is that they have arrived at the same conclusion and now they will enjoy the benefits.